I live in Washington, DC, where same-sex marriage is legal. I find it odd that as the Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), DOMA’s defenders keep insisting on procreation as the purpose of marriage--as if there were no overlap between gay marriage and baby-making. I had mixed feelings when I heard Elena Kagan countering such arguments with her comment that in marriages of heterosexuals over fifty-five, “there aren’t a lot of children coming out of those marriages.” Her heart is in the right place and this eminently quotable comment, replayed over and over again on NPR, reminds us that the legal bond between two men or two women should be recognized by the federal government regardless of whether the partners intend to have children. However, the truth is that many same-sex couples and gay single people do have children, whether through procreation or adoption. It may be a little more challenging when procreation involves sperm donors, surrogates, or other “partners in procreation,” but in my opinion, that’s a good thing.
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